Once Upon A Dream

Alright, this is from a dream I had when I was about five or six years old... In the writing class I am TAing at camp right now, we had to write about a dream we had and this is what I ended up with. It is a sort of "parallel novel". Enjoy!:

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We watched her drifting away, reaching over the shoulder of the dirty man holding her back, fighting to escape. The ship was edging closer and closer to the horizon and the struggle was hardly noticed by the greasy pirate. Our situation was no better. We were helpless, stranded on this unknown island, useless to her and to ourselves. The boys sat in the sand, crying for their sister and friend. Peter and I stood on the shore, just watching. There was nothing else we could do. I wanted to scream, to call for her, but I had no voice.

The air tasted like salt and there was something sharp about the way it hit my face. I turned to Peter, immediately frightened by what I saw. He was standing there, just standing there, with his eyes fixed on the girl in the blue dress fading into the distance. His face was blank but I could see the sorrow in his eyes. I could also see the rage, and that is what terrified me most. I wondered if he was really there, if he noticed the water soaking his canvas shoes, or his Lost Boys crying into the breeze. The air tasted like salt and there was something sharp about the way it hit my face. Two storms were brewing, and one of them with in Peter.

"Peter…" I was cautious, afraid to touch him. It was pointless, I realized, to try and speak to him, so I left him on the shore, returning to the boys hidden under the palm leaves. I could feel their fear and did my best to give them hope. I still couldn't find the right words to say and I knew that my half-hearted hugs and empty smiles would not be enough. I dared a glance at Peter, still standing there like stone, unmoving at the waters edge. His silence and detachment only scared the other children more. He was their leader, they were use to leadership, not abandonment. I wanted to be enough for them, but I knew that I was too pathetic myself to be of any real help to anyone else.

The chill of invisible knives grazed my arms, the trees dancing violently. I urged the boys deeper into the forest, hiding them within the brush. Turning back to the shore, I felt my heart break to see the ship was beyond our sight, yet Peter was still staring at the sea. His hat flew away in the wind, dancing across the sand. His hair twirled violently like flames against the darkened sky, and it only built upon the change I was seeing in him, the change from the carefree, silly boy I had met only a few days ago, to a figure so strange and foreign that I was afraid of him.

I was frozen, feet planted firmly in the uneven, pale sand. The sounds of cries lingered in the wind and I knew I couldn't let them down. A final glance back and a deep breath later, and I was racing out of the trees, the sand shifting unsteadily beneath me.

"Peter!" I shouted desperately, falling upon him and gripping at his arms. "Peter, please! You will be no good to her if you stay here." I was beginning to cry but my tears were suddenly invisible as the sky opened up upon us. I tugged at him frantically, even though I knew I was far too weak to move him. The frustration was building within me and I knew we were running out of time.

"Listen to me! You will be no good to Wendy if you are lost to this storm! The boys need you, Peter! I need you!"

He didn't move. I could feel the distortion in my face as I pleaded with him to join us. The water lapped onto the shore, nearly to our knees. I was shivering and frightened, caught up in a story I could have only dreamed about and was now living. I was determined, though. I was not leaving without him.

"Sammy!" I turned towards the trees to see Michael wandering along the sand with his teddy bear clutched to his chest.

"Peter, we have to go!" I shouted again, pulling his arm with all my strength. Perhaps it was my own adrenaline, or maybe it was just because of the unstable sand, but he finally moved. It wasn't much more than a slight jerk to the side, but it was enough to claim his attention.

I was so relieved that for a moment I forgot why I wanted his attention in the first place. As a rather powerful gust of wind slammed against my bare arms and legs, I was quickly reminded. "Peter, oh please, Peter!"

He blinked a couple of times and shook his head, looking through me with hazy eyes. "We need to go." I repeated at calmly as I could manage. He simply nodded and followed suit as I began to sprint back towards the shelter and the child wandering alone. I didn't let go of his hand as we crossed the sand, only releasing him once Michael was within my reach.

Pulling the small boy into my arms it was instantly clear that I was not the best candidate to carry him across uneven ground in such forceful winds. Peter realized this as well and without hesitation he stole Michael from me and held him to his shoulder, moving towards the other boys. I was impressed by his strength, for he was still just a boy himself. The boys were calling for us and Peter and I dashed between the trees as quickly as possible. The forest was howling at us maliciously and we knew that would couldn't afford to be cautious.

I kept tripping on roots and twigs, nearly falling to my knees several times, but I kept running, using my momentum to keep me off the ground. We finally came upon the boys and dropped down beneath the brush alongside them just as the sky lit up and a crack more violent than a whip filled our ears. Peter was the only one who did not jump or scream. Michael quickly crawled into my lap, curling against my chest and hiding his face in his teddy bear. We all sat close to each other, pressed against the roots in a sad attempt to stay dry.

Looking around my heart broke yet again to see so many crying, worn faces, their bodies shaking from the wind and rain. Everything looked hopeless, but I couldn't let the boys know that I thought such a thing, not with Wendy separated from us and Peter lost to his own mind. As crazy as it seemed I longed to be back on Hook's ship. I would willingly endure the filthy men, their awful stench and their broken smiles, if it meant that we could have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies, but more importantly, if we could be together again. Without Wendy and Peter, I didn't know what we were going to do.

I looked to him again as he stared into the rain as if reading something between the drops. He seemed so distant and alone. Longingly I placed a hand on his shoulder, my other arm wrapped tightly around Michael. He looked to me with sad eyes, saying nothing, but I couldn't help but see a lightness in his face that hadn't been there before. I smiled as best I could, hoping it would help. We were all exhausted and I did my best to hush the boys and urge them to try and sleep. The storm continued to crash all around us, but finally we all managed to drift into dreams.

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